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Putting the pieces together on how to cure Alzheimer’s

The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive disorder of the human brain which over time reduces a person’s cognitive abilities to the point that they cannot carry out the most basic tasks. This terrible disease was thrust back into the national conscious as the result of the death of Nancy Reagan. No retelling of the lief of Mrs. Reagan would be complete without mention of her fairy tale love affair with President Ronald Reagan, or President Reagan’s long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

With this in mind we thought we might take a moment to review what scientists know about Alzheimer’s disease and what treatments and cures are currently being pursued.

Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s

Earlier diagnoses can give Alzheimer’s patients more time to plan for their long-term care and explore treatment options. A new type of blood test developed by German scientists could increase the maximum amount of time for early detections up to 15 years before clinical symptoms begin to appear. The study results, published in a March issue of Biophotonics, discuss a test involving an infrared sensor which is able to detect the misfolding of amyloid-beta peptides which gradually form into amyloid plaques, causing brain damage. The earlier detections could help doctors prescribe medications that would delay the onset of brain damage; once clinical symptoms appear, a great deal of irreversible damage has already been done.

Early detection of Alzheimer’s could also be bolstered by innovative medical science research taking place at the University of Southern California. A study published in the scientific journal Trends in Cognitive Science identifies the locus coeruleus as the first part of the human brain which is affected by the onset of Alzheimer’s. The locus coeruleus regulates blood vessel interactivity throughout the brain and releases norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter which affects attention, cognition and memory. The way that the locus coeruleus interacts with the rest of the brain makes it more susceptible to toxins as well as infections in other areas of the brain, the researchers found.

Research into Alzheimer’s

A new defense against the formation of amyloid-beta into hardened plaques could have come from a team of Swiss scientists working at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. A study published in the neurology journal Brain discusses an implantable capsule containing cells which have shown themselves to be effective at counteracting the process by which amyloid-beta uses to clump together. The researchers have been able to produce the amyloid-beta countering effects by implanting the capsule into mice. The semi-permeable capsule, which measures 27 millimeters (mm) long by 12 mm wide by 1.2 mm thick, includes a hydrogel shielding the cells from the body’s immune system while allowing the cells to draw nutrients from the body.

Snake venom could prove to be an unlikely source for an Alzheimer’s treatment, but that could be the case thanks to research taking place at Australia’s Monash University. Scientists at that institution were able to isolate a molecule from the venom of a poisonous snake, Bothrops asper, which stimulated enzymes helping to fight the plaque created by amyloid-beta deposits. The compound has also shown some effectiveness in being used to treat bleeding caused by wounds.

The brain damage caused by Alzheimer’s might be irreversible, but a study produced by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and published in Nature gives rise to the notion that a person’s memories could still be retrieved even after Alzheimer’s has damaged brain tissues. The researchers identified dentate gyrus (DG) neurons which, when activated, were able to retrieve memories in mice which were formed during contextual fear conditioning. Researchers also ablated the DG neurons using diphtheria toxin and found that the mice couldn’t retrieve the same memories. There are likely differences in the brain functions of human Alzheimer’s patients and engineered mice, researchers warn, but this finding would provide further evidence of the important role played by the hippocampus, where the DG neurons are located.

Future developments that could link vascular disease to the development of Alzheimer’s could come from Emory University in the coming years. The academic institution recently received a five-year, $5.2 million grant for greater exploration into any possible connection between the regulation of blood pressure and Alzheimer’s. It’s hoped that the research will lead to potential new treatments for the disease, specifically ones which may target the renin-angiotensin system and endothelial cells.

The Author

Steve Brachmann
is a writer located in Buffalo, New York. He has worked professionally as a freelancer for more than a decade. He has become a regular contributor to IPWatchdog.com, writing about technology, innovation and is the primary author of the Companies We Follow series. His work has been published by The Buffalo News, The Hamburg Sun, USAToday.com, Chron.com, Motley Fool and OpenLettersMonthly.com. Steve also provides website copy and documents for various business clients.

Warning & Disclaimer: The pages, articles and comments on IPWatchdog.com do not constitute legal advice, nor do they create any attorney-client relationship. The articles published express the personal opinion and views of the author and should not be attributed to the author’s employer, clients or the sponsors of IPWatchdog.com. Read more.

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There are currently 1 Comment comments.

Jonathan BurdickMarch 29, 2016 12:30 am

No mention of cannabinoid-induced prevention of amyloid placques!? U.S. government owns patent on medical cannabis.

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